PERMANENT END STRENGTH LEVELS TO SUPPORT TWO MAJOR REGIONAL CONTINGENCIES.

SEC. 402. PERMANENT END STRENGTH LEVELS TO SUPPORT TWO MAJOR REGIONAL CONTINGENCIES. (a) Requirement To Budget for and Maintain Statutory End Strength Levels.— Section 691 of title 10, United States Code, is amended— (1) by redesignating subsections (d) and (e) as subsections (e) and (f), respectively; and (2) by striking out subsection (c) and inserting in lieu thereof the following: “(c) The budget for the Department of Defense for any fiscal year as submitted to Congress shall include amounts for funding for each of the armed forces (other than the Coast Guard) at least in the amounts necessary to maintain the active duty end strengths prescribed in subsection (b), as in effect at the time that such budget is submitted. 110 STAT. 2504 “(d) No funds appropriated to the Department of Defense may be used to implement a reduction of the active duty end strength for any of the armed forces (other than the Coast Guard) for any fiscal year below the level specified in subsection (b) unless the reduction in end strength for that armed force for that fiscal year is specifically authorized by law.”. (b) Temporary Flexibility Relating to Permanent End Strength Levels.— Subsection (e) of such section, as redesignated by subsection (a)(1), is amended by striking out “not more than 0.5 percent” and inserting in lieu thereof “not more than 1 percent”.